How many fish is too many in an aquarium?

I’ve noticed lately that everyone seems to be buying aquariums which could be that it’s income tax season and fish tanks are a great investment. Everywhere I go, people are either looking at aquariums or have them snuggly tucked away in their carts, ready to purchase. Fish aquariums are a great way to add wildlife to your living space and they can be enjoyed for years and years. I can think of a dozen ways why owning fish is a great hobby to have. I love my fish tanks and when I’m having a bad back pain day, I just sit back and watch them swimming away until my pain level starts to drop. There is something soothing and calming about fish aquariums. I have one of mine set on a waterfall feature with my filter and it sounds and feels like I’m at one of my favorite hiking areas where there are several waterfalls.

But that brings me back to the topic of this post which is, how many fish are too many fish for a single aquarium? As a rule, you should never have more than 1 fish per gallon of water. If you have a 5-gallon tank, you can have 5 fish. If you have a 90-gallon tank, you could have 90 fish. I don’t follow this rule. I only have half of the recommended amount. Reason being, is I have 2 tanks. Fish tanks are not easy to keep clean. I vacuum my gravel every day and change the water often. I could make room for another aquarium but I don’t want to at this time. Refer back to bad back pain. I’m sure I will have to buy another aquarium in the future though and it’s for the same reason why I only own half of the recommended amount. Babies. Fish are going to do what every other living beings do and that is, they will reproduce.

If you’re not willing to keep purchasing more aquariums, then it’s best not to fill your tank up with the recommended amount. Yes, it does look pretty with a full tank of fish but I’m sure you’ll want your fish to be happy, healthy and to thrive. And sooner or later, you’ll have more fish than you bargained for when your fish start reproducing. Fish lives matter too.

About Terri

My name is Terri and I live in an urban area in central Georgia, USA. I'm a mom to three kids and two furbabies. My hobbies include photography, reading, binge-watching movies, crocheting, D.I.Y. projects of every kind, gardening, hiking, glamping, and camping. I love to travel and go sightseeing. My coffee pot is my lifeline.

Comments

I love aquariums and whenever I visit friends that own one I think I want it too! It’s beautiful and might influence positively the atmosphere of the house. Of course, if the fishes are suffering… there’s no zen in having an aquarium really. I never thought about reproduction and how the tank can get very busy quickly… Good point, but it’s quite a lot of work then! Still, it would be great to have one in the living room.

We used to have a saltwater tanks years ago. It was difficult to maintain, but definitely worth it. I never thought to think how many fish was too many, but I think ours was good. I’d have researched it if I’d have thought of it!

I think fish tanks are beautiful and certainly make for statement pieces in homes. That being said, I don’t think I could have one because well, too much maintenance and um, I cannot trust myself around fish. LOL! I would eat them??? 😉